If like many people in the UK you simply cannot function in a morning until you have had your caffeine injection then this article may be of interest. Whether you’re a espresso fan, a lover of lattes, or a cappuccino addict there is no doubt that the UK loves a good cup of coffee and whilst many people still like to think of us as a nation of tea drinkers, coffee fever has indeed invaded our homes and high streets.

The modern high street is now typically made up of the same things; a few fashion shops, a couple of restaurants and sports shops, popular chemists, pubs and hairdressers and of course a plethora of coffee shops. Thanks to television programmes such as Friends reinventing the coffee shop as a trendy and cool place to ‘hang out’ the coffee shop is now a hugely popular venue amongst people of all backgrounds and ages.

With the popularity of coffee shops increasing, creating a warm and inviting environment has never been more important for coffee shop owners. However, whilst plenty of comfortable seating areas, adequate table space and tasteful décor are all important elements of a coffee shop and will bring people through the door, serving poor quality coffee will see that they never return.

Modern coffee shops are miles away from the instant, luke warm coffee served in a polystyrene cup from your local ‘greasy spoon’, instead they serve high quality ground coffee fresh from the likes of Columbia, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The sheer volume of customers through the doors also necessitates a need for good coffee to be made quickly and on demand yet not lose any of its quality.

Contemporary coffee machines are part of a range of commercial catering equipment that has taken ordinary catering equipments to new levels of engineering. With necessity being the mother of invention, it’s no surprise that the growing popularity of coffee shops has led to numerous innovations in coffee making machines and the manufacture thereof.

Today’s commercial catering equipment is light years ahead of the tea urns and toasters of the 1960’s and 70’s. These days the catering equipment found in coffee shops, bars and restaurants is made to be seen. With classic streamlining borrowed from the art nouveau era, today’s coffee machines, coffee grinders and other pieces of commercial catering equipment is designed to part of the ambiance as well as being an efficient, functional and trustworthy tool.